MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN TRAILS 100 MILE RUN 2012 Race Report

May 12, 2012

....or in short the MMT 100 (aka toe breaker 100).  Not really sure why I decided to run this race except for the fact that I didn't make the lottery pick for Western States again or Hardrock so Bob Ayers and I decided to enter the MMT 100 and both of us got in.  For me a new race, for Bob another try to better his previous record.  Road Trip!

Training for an early season 100 miler is usually a challenge.  That means running many miles throughout the winter.  Luckily in VT this year we had no winter so it was not such a big issue due to frigid running conditions.  Then the mental aspect, am I ready to run 100 miles in early May?  I did a 100K in January, a 50 mile in February, a 50K in April and many other long runs throughout in preparation.  I also did my usual 500 in 30 during peak training time.  That's 500 miles in 30 days concluding 3 weeks before race day.  To make it more of a challenge were a few races thrown in so the final week of those 30 days was 135 miles.  I remember those last few miles of the 135 mile week doing mile long hill repeats ready to start walking when I bumped into Norm Larson just heading out for a Sunday Run.  Norm is one of the fastest in the country for marathon and below distances for us 50 year olds.  So with Norm there, I was forced to move my butt a bit faster up this mile long hill and then another mile or two until I was done for the week.  Afterwards I hit a 90 minute session of bikram yoga in 105 degrees which totally kicked my butt.  I was so wiped out that I went home and took a nap.  Yes, I was finally tired out but not hurt, there's that fine line.  I never know if this training plan is totally insane or if this is what it takes to keep up with he young-ins.   (And I have yet to try this on any of my running clients).  Only time would tell if this was good...or not.

Taper time prior to MMT 100.  Week one didn't go so well, I still logged near 90 miles.  I guess that is tapering after 135 miles.  The following week ended with what was supposed to be an easy 20 mile run a week before MMT.  The easy 20 mile run started out with good intentions but I got in a funk and decided to run uphill for 11 miles on the Long Trail and then 11 miles downhill which turned into a 6 hour adventure tracking moose poop and running through snow and of course with only 20 ounces of fluid and 2 GU gels.  Not the usual idea of tapering the week before a 100 mile race.  But got her done in any event.  Now it was race week.  Time to prepare for race day.

I still hadn't done much research on the MMT race so finally looked into the course a bit.  Yes it looked hilly and rocky.  I quickly looked at the splits and came up with sort of a game plan, to be implemented later in the week, which meant the night before the race.  To be determined!  Shoes, I was waiting for the new Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel Trail II's which arrived Tuesday afternoon and looked sweet!

Bob and I starting our adventure driving down Thursday afternoon for a 2 day journey to break up the 10 hour trip.  First leg getting us to northern PA.  We went down in the F-150 and made it to somewhere near Elk Mtn. in PA.  Bob noticed an official camping sign so we headed in that direction.  A few miles off the beaten path and we arrived at the Shady Rest Campground.  Bob was in heaven as the owner was a hunter.  He and Bob would've chatted all night long about deer and turkey hunting but it was getting dark so I figured it was time to set up camp.  For me, park the F-150 hotel, for Bob, setting up the tent.  The temps were already dropping with the sun setting.  Bob quickly set up the tent as I sat back and enjoyed a little R and R with a fresh Bud.

Bob enjoying a cold one.

Bob and I had a pre-pre race dinner and then it was time for bed as temps were dropping even more.  The plan was to sleep until at least sunrise, have some breakfast and get on the road for another 5 hours of driving.  The night proved to be a challenge.  I neglected to bring the down comforter and Bob forgot the warmer sleeping bag.  By dawn, there was frost on the ground.  Throughout the night we both had a time with the cold.  For me, luckily I brought a down jacket and wore that to stay warm.  Once the core was warm enough, I was de-layering in the night.  Bob remained in the fetal position to keep warm and was wishing Jen was there to keep him warm.  No he didn't admit that but I could tell.  Come morning the owner of the campground came by to show Bob his prize turkey from that morning's hunt.  I could sense that Bob was a bit jealous and wished he could have been out there too.  Shortly afterwards, we both enjoyed the hot showers and hit the road for another 5 hours.

Finally in Fort Valley, VA.  We arrived at the start finish area/campsite and set ourselves up.  For me, the F-150 hotel was ready to go.  For Bob, a few extra minutes setting up his tent.  Before long it was time for the race briefing.  Bob had already set up his drop bags and was ready to go.  For me, I still hadn't really thought it out.  I had all kinds of provision with me but it was a matter of figuring out what and where during the race.  I finally ran out of time with half thought out drop bags and we went over for the race briefing.

Start/Finish of the MMT 100

At the briefing I reconnected with ultra legend and friend Todd Walker.  As a veteran of this course and winner in 2008, Todd offered some great MMT advice.  RD Kevin Sayers gave a quick briefing along with tips and minor course descriptions to help us get through the course along with a few guest speakers.  After the briefing dinner began.  Trying to get myself organized I bypassed dinner for the moment to focus and finish up with my drop bags.  In all, I put together 3 drop bags that would hopfully get me through the race with adequate supplies and extras just in case.  I dropped off my bags at the tent and then enjoyed some great vegetarian pasta dishes along with desserts, my favorite.  With all the traveling and preparations, I still needed to get a run in so after woofing down the pasta, Bob and I went out for an easy run around the start and finish of the course.  We were both sucking wind with bellies full of pasta but we got'r done.  Shortly thereafter it was getting dark and time to retire for the evening with a plan to get up at 3:00 AM for the 4:00 AM start.

3:00 AM time to get up!  I was sleeping so good, I hate to get up in the middle of the night.  Temps were in the low 40's, chilly but not too bad.  I got myself dressed including arm warmers and gloves, had a banana, half a bagel with peanut butter and Bob had the hot water boiling for my hot cup of tea.  Finally it was time to head over to the start.  One last trip to the port-o-let and I was ready to go.  The start was actually quite reasonable without the occasional 5k race pace fast start.  Right off we had a 4 mile gradual uphill on the road before we hit the trail uphills.  I was running close to the front with Bob, Todd, Jason Lantz, Nick Pedatella and some others.  Finally off the road we hit the rocky trails and yes, they were rocky and up we went.

Rocky Trails

Nick was blazing the path with myself right behind.  And directly behind me the trail was lined up with others shining their headlamps to see the way over the rocks.  The trail seemed to go uphill forever, a familiar pattern that I would discover later on.  At one point Dan Barger took the lead and blasted by all of us and out of sight.  I was content running in a pack with Nick and Jason for quite a while.  Jason and I have spent many miles together and in 2009 ran much of the VT 100 together and some of the Leadville 100 in 2010.  Nick was at UTMB last year and I never had the chance to meet him there so this was a treat to run and chat with Nick.  Funny thing, Nick is about the age of my daughter.  Still, on the trail, age doesn't matter and we are all equal and just out there running.  The three of us came into Edinburg Gap at mile 12 and quickly out.  I was using a pack with a hydration bag to get me to mile 20 so I didn't require any stopping to refuel but I did remove the gloves and arm warmers as the temps were rising.  After another climb, there was really nice runnable terrain.  Before long, we passed by Dan Barger standing on the side of the trail.  Not sure what was going on but it didn't look good.  Nick was slightly ahead with Jason and myself following along.  For a second I lost concentration and next thing I was flying through the air.  I did a massive tuck and roll on the side of the trail  I could hear Jason yelling back to see if I was ok.  Best thing to do is to keep moving or it will hurt more.  The legs were fine but my elbow and hand hurt.  No need to stop.  A few miles later I noticed blood all over my hand and traced it back to my finger which had a large gash in it.  Over time the blood thickened enough so I glued back the hunk of skin that was flopping around.  No big deal.  At mile 20, Woodstock Aid Station the three of us arrived together again.  I had a drop bag and got rid of my hydration pack and shirt and picked up my waist pack.  I quickly filled up with water to add to my GU Brew drink mix, grabbed my GU gels and electrolyte pills and was ready to head out when one of the volunteers stopped me to pick off some ticks from my legs.  I'm glad they were watching.

Deer Tick

The next section had some excellent single track and no major climbs that I recall.  At mile 26 we pulled into Powell's Fort with Nick in the lead, Jason next and myself not far behind.  At that point I realized I screwed up with my drink mixes.  I didn't have another drop bag until mile 41 and was forced to drink straight water instead of the much needed GU Brew with electrolytes and extra sodium.  I picked off some more ticks and then headed out.  There was a good climb out of Powell's and then down to Elizabeth Furnace at mile 33.  Still with no drink mix, I had to continue with water only.  They had Gatorade but it doesn't usually agree with my stomach.  Luckily I had enough electrolyte pills to keep me going.  Nick was slightly ahead at this point but Jason and I were still running together.  Out of Elizabeth Furnace was another climb and then downhill to Shawl Gap.  Again more straight water for me.  I was concerned on how this might affect me later in the race, especially since the temps were heating up.  After a short road section Jason and I arrived at Veach Gap, mile 41.

Jack and Jason at Veach Gap.

I had a drop bag at Veach and was finally able to refuel with my GU Brew drink with 2 x's the sodium, grab some more GU gels and grab an extra hand held bottle as there were some long sections coming up without aid stations.  One treat at the aid station that I discovered, popsicles.  They were incredible!  I also grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and off I went for the next major climb out.  Nick was about 4 minutes ahead and Jason was in and out of the aid station so I was on my own heading up the next climb.  It was also 9 miles to the next aid station and the heat was starting to kick in.  The climb out seemed to go on forever and somewhere along the way, Adam Lint passed by looking strong.  I was starting to get twinges in my legs from cramps so I had to back off a bit.  On a steep downhill section my calf cramped and totally seized up which stopped me dead.  Not good!  I tried to get another electrolyte pill down but then the gag re-flux kicked in and I almost puked.  Finally out of desperation I opened up the electrolyte capsule and poured it on my tongue.  The taste was disgusting and it almost made me puke but I held it in.  Finally after a long downhill I arrived at Indian Grave.  After that it was 4 miles of mostly uneventful road to get to the next aid station, Habron Gap.  From there it was another big climb out and would be another 2 hours plus before the next aid station.  This section was probably the low point for me.  I filled up one bottle with water and the other with Gatorade hoping to replenish some of the lost electrolytes.  Soon I rediscovered my memories of Gatorade.  It tasted like an old band aid and had me on the fence of puking.  Little by little I would rotate between the water and the Gatorade as I knew I needed more than water.  Along this section I also developed a sour stomach to the gels so I couldn't get any calories in except at the aid stations.  James Blandford passed by looking strong.  He was running scared of this section as he had DNF'd just after this section last year so he was on a mission to keep on moving, which he did.

More Rocks

Camp Roosevelt was the next aid station at mile 64.  I ate some food, replenished the water and off I went.  Another big climb out and then downhill.  After almost 6 miles it was the Gap Creek Aid Station.  I did have a drop bag there so I could finally replenish my bottles with some GU Brew.  The best thing here again were the popsicles.  A different variety from the previous popsicle station and I think I had three along with some noodles as I was a bit dizzy and knew I needed food.  At this point I also grabbed the provisions for running at night.  I put on a shirt, grabbed my headlamp and prepared for another climb as I headed out.  Once on top of the ridge it was a really nice run for miles.  There were some great views looking out and the temps were starting to drop.  I was feeling better with good drink and food in the belly and only 30 or so miles to go.  The end of this section had a rather steep road downhill which ended at the Visitor Center aid station, mile 78.  I fueled up with real food, and did manage to have one GU Brew tab so I replenished one bottle with water, the other with the GU Fizz.

Munching on some food at the Visitor Center

Out on the Stonewall Jackson historic trail for a bit then up, up and up to Bird Knob, mile 81.6.  Along this section I managed to pass by Adam Lint who was having some difficulties.  After Bird Knob it was a slight down hill then up, down, up and down to the Picnic Area, mile 88.  I don't remember much here as it was now dark.  I do know I was back to straight water again but was able to swallow an electrolyte pill again which was good as cramping twinges in the thighs were starting to occur.  From here it would be another 2 hours until the next aid station.  Next up, Gap Creek, mile 96.8.  I had a drop bag here as it was the same aid station as mile 70 but figured it was only about 4 miles to the finish.  I grabbed a quick snack, replenished my water supply and off I went for the next climb.  I knew how long this climb was as it was a repeat of earlier but then at the top I would go straight and head to the finish.  At the top of the ridge there was a pie plate showing mile 98, how sweet I thought, only 3 miles to go.  It was just after midnight.  Well those "3" miles turned out to be the longest 3 miles I've ever run.  I was probably a good 2 plus miles of rolling downhill on technical rocky terrain.  Finally I popped out on the road.  I remembered they talked about how we run downhill on the road.  I didn't see any arrows on the road showing direction and was a little confused so I headed down the road.  I figured it could only be a mile or so but after a mile, 2 miles, maybe 3 miles I was getting concerned.  Did I go in the right direction?  Am I running downhill or am I running uphill?  In the middle of the night after 100 plus miles the mind starts to look at things differently.  I followed the mailbox numbers on the few scattered homes and realized the numbers where increasing, not good.  Ever once in a while I would see a reflective marking but was I going in the right direction.  I started thinking about going back to where I came out of the woods and looking at my watch, I certainly had more that covered the 3 miles.  Finally out of desperation, I asked the gods above for a sign.  No sooner, I came around the corner and saw the turnoff for the finish all lit up.  Nice!!!  It still took a bit of time to meander to the finish but I knew the end was near.  I crossed the finish line and was done at just past 1:00 in the morning.

At the finish I sat down and a volunteer brought me some coke to sip on.  One sip and I stood right up looking for a place to puke.  The stomach said not now to food or drink and was ready to purge.  A volunteer brought over a 33 gallon barrel and I grabbed both sides.  I felt like fellow ultra runner Joe Kulak from the classic North Face ads.  I asked the volunteers if they wanted to get a picture of me but they didn't seem as excited as I was.  After the stomach calmed down, I sat back down and wanted to see Bob come in and figured he was right behind me.  Kevin Sayers then informed me that Bob had dropped after Camp Roosevelt at mile 64.  I went over to the tent to check up on Bob hoping that this wasn't a repeat of 2 years ago which put Bob in the hospital with a broken toe.  Luckily Bob was in the the tent.  Apparently a cold kicked in half way through which really bothered his breathing so he did the smart thing and bailed.  He'll be back!

Solo Division Award

In the end, I came in fourth place overall with a time of 21:07:36.  I won my age group and set a new age group record by over 3 hours.
But the best was I won the Solo Division formerly called the "Jackson Division",(no crew, no pacer, no headphones).  I renamed it the "I Don't Need No Stinkin Help" Award.  A personal victory for me :)

Overall Winner of MMT 100 Jason Lantz (center)

Jason managed to run strong throughout and passed Nick.  He took the overall win and finished in a time of 19:33:18.  Nick was second with a time of 20:19:10.  Third went to James Blandford with a time of 20:31:12.  For the women, Eva Pastalkova defended her title with a time of 22:01:54 and won the women's solo division.



Summary:  For me I screwed up with my nutrition.  If I only had planned it out better I would have realized that just a couple more aid station drop bags with fluids would have helped.  Still, in any 100 you have highs and lows and as such I had to make adjustments.  My legs felt great throughout the race so the high mileage training did help.  Also for the last 2 months I've been going to bikram yoga which definitely helped me get through the heat.  The rocks seemed no different than the trails I run on in the Green and White Mountains so a fun course.  Overall I was pleased.  The success of a race for me is more about how I feel at the end and how much I enjoyed the run rather than the overall placement.   So far, recovery has been going well.

Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel Trail II

The Gear:  The Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel Trail II's were the perfect shoe for the conditions.  I was a little nervous heading into a 100 miler with a new shoe and no break in miles.  But I was totally impressed with this shoe.  Basically took it out of the box and ran 100 miles in total comfort.  No blisters at all and plenty of cush to absorb the rocky terrain and still at a reasonably light weight.  And superb traction on the rocks.

I also wore the Pearl Izumi Fly shorts in total comfort and the short sleeve tech shirt early morning and late night.

The DryMax Socks once again did the job.  For this race I chose the lightweight hiker for a little bit more cushion to absorb the rocks.  And again, total comfort and no blisters :)

When I was on board, I drank the GU Brew.  Early on it was the Orange flavor with some liquid calories and electrolytes.  For the mid day heat it was the GU Brew with 2x's the sodium.  And the surprise was the refreshing taste of the GU Brew electrolyte tablets.  The GU gels as usual for some additional calories until the stomach went sour.

The Headsweats Super Duty Race Cap with the extra wide COOLMAX sweatband was perfect for the warm conditions.

Once night set in I tried out a new lighting system by Light & Motion.  I used the Solite.  With three settings I was able to work the rechargeable battery to the max.  For slower climbing the low setting was great.  For most downhills I went to the medium setting.  And for the most technical I turned up to high with 150 lumens.

One final note, it was a long ride back home.  I started off the drive and within 30 minutes I was tired. I broke out a 5 hour energy drink.  I got this at a race last year but have been afraid to drink it.  I thought this would help.  First off, the taste was horrible and with an already sour stomach, it took about 15 minutes to finish this.  I had a short spell of I think I'm awake and then a major crash occurred.  I was toast and Bob had to take over so I could sleep.  Thankfully Bob did most of the driving to get us home with some great stories.

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.

Traprock 50K 2012 Race Report

Traprock 50K Race Site

Less than a week after the Northern Nipmuck Trail Race I was on the road again to CT.  This time for my first visit to run in the Traprock 50K Race held at the Penwood State Park in Bloomfield, CT.  It was a quick week in VT but I still had training miles to get in.  This was key training time for the MMT 100 so again no time to taper except that I did manage to only do a short easy run on Friday before the trip down to CT.  For this race I decided to spend the night before at mom's being that she was less than an hour away and I hadn't discovered any great place to car camp the night before the race without being interrupted by the local authorities.  The five hour trip down was uneventful and I had my dinner on the fly as I drove non-stop.  The main course was a rice pesto/pasta with assorted veggies mixed in along with some garlic bread and a tossed salad.  Dessert was my home made apple crisp.  When I finally arrived at moms, I was hungry again.  It was getting close to 10 PM.  I saw a freshly baked cake with frosting.  That looked good!!  So for a bedtime/pre-race snack it was chocolate cake with a bit of tequila to simmer my brain down after the ride and it was just what the doctor ordered :)

I woke up not too early and had a waffle breakfast to get me going and then on the road for the 8:30 AM race start.  I had organized a drop bag to put at the start finish area of this 3 loop course.  I'm not wild about loop courses but it does make it easier when you are self supporting.  I had my GU Brew drinks all ready to go and my GU gels and electrolytes all pre-calculated for each loop.  I also had an extra pair of Drymax socks and a spare pair of Pearl Izumi shoes, just in case.  For the race I was wearing the Pearl Izumi Peak II trail shoes.  I managed to get in a quick pre-race run up the first hill to get the heart pumping.  Then it was to the start line.

Pre-race briefing

The Traprock 50K Start

I was lined up with Ben Nephew, Ryan Welts and Nate Sanel, all raring to go.  But first the pre-race briefing and then some.  It was very nice and informative but did take a bit longer than I thought.  Long enough for the body to seize up and stiffen up.  Finally the start which was about 100 yards along a paved park road then on trail and up and up.  Ben quickly took the lead with Nate and Ryan not far behind.  I was following trying to catch my breath.  The heart was pounding and trying to regroup.  Typically I need a bit of time to either warm up or to allow my body to ease into the run.  There was no time for it here so I struggled to get up the first mile waiting to feel my heart slow down a bit.  Finally the trail plateaued and I regrouped and got into my own groove.  I stayed behind Ben, Nate and Ryan letting them set the pace.   By the time we got to the Stairway to Heaven, Ben had gained some distance but was still visible.  Nate and Ryan and myself were still fairly tight.  After getting to "heaven" the trail mellowed out a bit and rolled up and down.  I discovered what "traprock"was as I stubbed my toe.  Traprock is a smaller, sharp rock.  For the most part it's stable but you feel in under foot and occasionally if you drag your feet, you nail it with your toe.

Traprock Rocky Trails

For the most part, the trails were in great shape.  No mud, just nice New England trail running with a combination of rocks and roots.  There was definitely some climbing, I think they mentioned there was 2300 feet of climbing each lap which would add up to nearly 7000 of ascending for this 50K race.

Traprock 50K Profile

At the far end of lap 1 there was the lollipop loop.  This was a quick out and back where you could see where other runners were.  Ben was clearly ahead while the three of us, Nate, Ryan and myself where rather close knit.  On the return lollipop we had a chance to see quite a few other runners not too far back and Kristina Folcik being the first woman was looking strong.  Fellow Vermonter Nick Yardley was right there too.

The return trip back was not as hilly and more runnable.  At this point, Ben was ahead with Ryan leading our pack and Nate following.  Not long into this section I passed Nate and caught up to Ryan.  We ran together for a while until the next aid station.  From here the trail was along an old broken up paved camp road.  At this point I went into marathon mode and just ran at a good steady pace.  Ryan mentioned this was not one of his strong points and I quickly lost him.  After about a mile it was back up and climbing until the final descent to the start/finish turnaround.  On the descent I saw Ben cruising up looking strong heading back out on lap 2.  At the turnaround I quickly replenished my GU Brew, grabbed some more Gu gels and a new supply of electrolyte pills.  It was starting to warm and it would be crucial to have the right nutrition/hydration to get through the rest of the race.

Ryan and Jack

Lap 2 I was on my own for most of it while passing some of the 17 K runners who started an hour later.  I kept the pace up and at the lollipop loop saw Ben again, with a comfortable lead but not too far ahead.  On the return of the lolliop loop I saw Ryan and Nate not that far back.  The rest of lap 2 I was just in cruise mode, trying to focus on hydration and electrolytes knowing that lap 3 would be the most demanding with the heat increasing.

As I pulled into the end of lap 2 I refueled again and back out for the final lap.  Ben was still comfortably ahead but I was told at the turnaround we were 8 minutes apart.  I kept moving along.  Ryan and Nate were farther back now too.  By the time I got to the lollipop I didn't see Ben which meant he was at least 10 minutes ahead and no sign of Ryan or Nate or anyone else which meant I was at least 10 minutes ahead of them.  With that in mind, I decided to back it down a bit.  No need to push it as I had more miles to do the next day and a big week ahead.  So I maintained, made sure I was hydrated, had sufficient electrolytes and fuel to get me to the finish.  The temps had risen maybe to the low 70's but it was dry so almost no sweating.  But, I could see my body was crusted over with salt.  Still, no cramping or even a hint of cramping which for me, is amazing.  It must be the bikram yoga I'm doing for heat training or maybe it was the cake and tequila snack the night before??

The Rock

Finally I arrived at the finish in a time of 4:23:57, claiming second place overall, 1st master and winner of my 50 age group.

Ben was first with a time of 4:05:56.  Ryan finished shortly after me with a time of 4:41:28.  Nick Yardley came in 5th for the men in a time of 5:04:56.  Kristina captured her second victory in a week after winning for the women at the No. Nipmuck the previous week.  Here she won in a time of 5:14:26.  Another fellow Vermonter running two 50K's that weekend including the "Don't Run Boston 50K" was Paul Sulva finishing Traprock in 7:34:09.  And Alison Aiken finished in a time of 6:39:59.

Full Results are available HERE.

The Gear:  Pearl Izumi Peak II Trail Shoes were awesome!  As were the Drymax light hiker sock for some added cushioning on the sharp rocks.  The Headsweats Super Duty Race Cap with it's Coolmax sweatband helped keep the sweat under control.  And for nutrition, the GU Brew Blueberry/Pomegranate with 2's the sodium did the trick for me again and no cramping!!
And thanks to Scott Livingston for some of the race day photos.

And thanks to Kevin McMahon for providing a special Thursday pre-race meal, cooking lesson and humor.
Tofu Powered Pilla almost Picks Off Punk
Jack just missed taking the gold from a 33 year old on this 50K last weekend.  Boggles the skull to see the split times posted and realize they are 10-mile splits. Shoot me.
Because Jack has quit eating meat, the meal I fed him on Thursday night might have powered him along. 
On my long-standing invite, he finally dropped in after his Thurs Night Running Group in Essex. 

It was with some team-spirited joy that I anticipated feeding one of our own Nat Champ Team, and full-time World Beater. 
So,  as I was about to serve him a first course of delicious lasagne, he pulls the 'meatless stare' on me and mumbles something about past lives, glycemic index, more energy...
So, I pull down the wok and set-up a short course on meatless Chinese cooking. 
I show him the ming-bean sprouts: 'You've had these, right?: I get the Pilla grin and I read:"never".
I show him the tofu: 'You've had tofu, right?: I get the Pilla grin and the raised eye brows: I read: "Never, never".

In a few minutes I've got a mound of never never say 'meatless' Chinese fare in front of him. And he says: "I can't eat all this!"
Here's a guy who looks for food stops on a 5K and he's telling me he might over eat. Hmmmm.
I cut it in half and make up a little side salad to help him rough out the roughage, force another Bass Ale on him and catch up on why we do what we do.
Scratch that: why he does what he does.
Pilllllllaaaaa.


On to more training!  See you on the trails,

Jack

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination".

Northern Nipmuck Trail Race Report 2012

And the training continues!

I first discovered the Northern Nipmuck Trail Race back in 2007 by accident on a trip to visit Mom over the Easter weekend.  The race was so much fun, I've returned almost every year.  It usually signifies the return to trail running for me as most trails in Vermont aren't runnable until mid April at the earliest.

I looked at the race this year as a fun training run.  Right now I'm into the peak training season for the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run in early May, so again, no time to really taper.   I tried to bulk up on miles earlier in the week to give myself a couple days of "rest" towards the end of the week.  I attempted some speed work on Tuesday prior to Nipmuck to end a 20 mile day, wasn't happening.  It is what it is.  In any event I felt decent by the end of the week.  So Friday afternoon I packed up the truck and was on the road to the Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union, CT by early evening.  It would be about a 4 1/2 hour drive so I figured going down the night before was certainly the better choice than getting up at 3:00 AM Saturday morning.  It was an easy drive down and the almost full moon had come out.  I arrived at the park around 10:30PM.  It was quiet and empty.  I found a nice spot to park, had a snack along with the traditional pre-race Bud and off to bed.  I don't know why but I always have a great sleep in Hotel Ford.  The temp inside the cap was 36 degrees when I woke up but with flannel sheets, blankets and the trusty down comforter, it doesn't get much better than that :)

Hotel Ford ready to go

I got up around 7:00 AM, went for a quick shake out run to wake up the body and then back for a little breakfast.  I got the stove going and quickly was sipping hot tea to go with my wheat bread with peanut butter and Nutella, a favorite pre-race snack and a banana.  I relaxed a bit then saw RD Jim Campiformio had arrived.  I went over and helped him set up some tents and we chatted about races, health and travels.  Jim puts on a great race every year, low key yet totally organized and he listens to concerns.  He knows I get lost almost every year and tries to make sure those areas are marked extra to avoid me getting lost again.  Jim also mentioned a slight change in the start this year and explained the new route.  After the tents were set up I returned to the truck to get ready for the race.  Being only 16 miles didn't require anything to special.  I had GU Brew drink for hydration, GU gels and electrolyte pills that should be sufficient for the race duration.  I went for another short run to warm up and then headed over to the start.  It might have been a record number of starters this year or close to it but still small in comparison to other races.  With the tight single track and an out and back, the race really can't handle many more runners.

The start went off as planned but this year instead of running immediately up a steep hill we ran along a buffed out logging road at a brisk pace, quickly thinning out the pack.  Before long we were gradually going up and up to hook on with the old trail.  Right from the start a number of fast guys took off including Greg Hammett and Ross Krause.  I wasn't too far back but saw no need to burn myself up in the first 2 miles.  I settled in and just did my own thing with the objection, to have a fun run.  Before the top of the hill, a new friend from NH had caught up, Ryan Welts.  Ryan has been running well this year and Nipmuck was his first trail race of the season.  Soon he was ahead of me and I was just in cruise mode behind.  Before long I noticed I was alone and should have hung on to Ryan a bit longer.  As I looked up after a rock garden I was lost.  Not again!  I even recognized the area but just stood there as I didn't want to continue on a wrong path.  Soon

some other runners came along and guided me back on the trail.  I missed a 90 degree turn up through the rocks.  Yes, been there done that before in that same spot.  Anyway, I had some new guys to run with.  We went back and forth a bit and chatted some.  A couple of young-ins from Mass.  We plodded along and finally made it to the half way point turn around.  I thought it took quite a bit longer than usual.  My legs felt a bit tired but was I really that much slower this year?  I didn't realize until much later that the new re-route out was longer than the old version.  After the turnaround you have to climb out of the hollow and head steeply up hill for a while.  I had to chuckle as a couple of woman were there watching the guys run back uphill commenting on the view from the rear of the men.  They seemed to like my legs as I was climbing.  Always nice to hear :)

For the next 4 miles it was much of the same, cruising along, passing many runners on this out and back section.  I must have been daydreaming at one point and lost focus as I tripped and found myself falling head first into a log across the trail.  This was not looking good.  So as I was going down, I quickly pushed off to get extra lift and distance and cleared the log going into a nice tuck and roll in front of an audience of fellow on coming trail runners.  Not a problem, just another day on the trail.  Going into the last 4 miles I was a bit behind the 2 young bucks from earlier but for me, the last 4 miles are my favorite.  It has some good uphill sections leading up to a fun decent for the last mile.  After the mile 12 aid station I was I could see the other guys up ahead.  They were starting to fade a bit while I was feeling stronger.  Usually it takes me a good 10 miles to settle in.  Soon I was ahead of them and totally enjoying the trails.  The trails this year were in excellent shape and just a joy to run on.  Finally it was downhill, usually a mud bog but this year very little mud.  I was all alone and just in cruise mode.

Photo of me courtesy of Scott Livingston

I arrived at the finish a couple of minutes faster than 2 years ago and with the longer course, I was happy with that, especially with all the miles I've been putting in lately.  I was top master and won my 50's age group and was 8th overall in the middle of all the young 30 and 20 year olds.  I can live with that :)

Some other highlights of the race, for the men, Greg held onto first with Ross coming in second.  My New Hampshire friends had awesome races.  Ryan took forth place and had his best Northern Nipmuck performance narrowly edging out 2 other runners who were within 6 seconds of him!  And Kristina smoked the course and took first for the women breaking her old Northern Nipmuck time by over 20 minutes!!  Deb Livingston came in a strong second for the women.  (Deb has also been training hard for some soon to happen upcoming events).  Good luck Deb!

Full Results






The Gear:

Pearl Izumi Peak II trail shoe

For this somewhat technical but short race I wore the Pearl Izumi Peak II shoes.  They were right on!  The traction was superb especially on some of the sharp downhills and they were lightweight yet supportive enough.  For socks I wore the Drymax light hiker.  With a little extra cushioning they were great over the rocky terrain.  I also wore the Headsweats race cap to help absorb a bit of sweat.  And for nutrition I drank GU Brew Blueberry Pomegranate flavor and had the Vanilla Bean GU Gels except I saved the Expresso Luv Gu gel (2x's the caffeine) for the last 4 miles.

Drymax Light Hiker ready to run

OTHER TRAINING UNDER WAY

This is NOT me.

This is more like me.

In hopes of finding other ways to cross train now that skiing has melted away and to improve fitness I began bikram yoga a few weeks ago.  I am not flexible by any means and am as graceful as a dancing elephant but I try.  I also figured the intense heat would be good for heat training.  I try to hide in the back row in the corner so I can use the wall if I loose my balance but somehow the instructors seem to find me.  "Hey sports guy" they call out as I can't do any of the poses.  Then they come over and give me "special" treatment making me bend and flex in ways I never thought possible.  I even said to the instructor, "You're here to hurt me aren't you?"  She kicked my butt!  In the first week I bonked bad once.  The heat took it's toll on me.  The next week I took electrolyte pills before and had an electrolyte drink during.  Much better!  This week I tried to do too much and bonked bad again.  I had to lie down on the mat while they were doing standing poses as I was seeing stars.  Once I recover from class I do feel great.  My legs don't feel as tight and the sweating definitely is cleansing.

Bike Season Is On.
With the trails so dry, mountain bike season is on!  I had a great ride at the Pine Hill trails in Rutland last week.  And Catamount opens up this weekend :)  Keep an eye out for the FOTW trails as they are slowly opening up.

OTHER NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS!

On April 1, 2012 at the Fools Run 50K in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, local ultra runners Serena Wilcox and Heather Furman successfully completed the run.  Serena blazed through the course just a couple of minutes off the women's course record taking first for the women and 10th overall.  Congrats to Serena & Heather!!

On April 7, 2012 at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in Washington, DC, local runners Norm Larson and Allen Mead were there representing VT.  Norm easily won his age group and came in 45th overall for the men at a blistering time of 55:35.  That's a 5:33 pace for Norm, unbelievable for most and especially at 56 years young!  Allen posted a time of 1:02:57 taking 20th place in his age group of 648 runners.  Way to go guys!!

That's it for now.  See you on the trails!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Happy Running!

A Little Taper Time Can Go A Long Way

But Knowing What is Right and Doing What is Right Can Often Be A Challenge  and the New Bedford Half Marathon was just one of those instances.

Part of the 2012 GMAA Team

NEW BEDFORD HALF MARATHON, March 18, 2012

GMAA's select Premier driver

The New Bedford Half Marathon held in New Bedford, MA. has become a big annual event for our local running club, The Green Mountain Athletic Association.  We have so many club runners participating now that we charter our own Premier bus to drive us down there and fill up all the seats and then some. This race is also a big club race for New England and has grown to over 3000 participants.  Typically a fast paced race with always some wind on the course.  This year was no different and the weather was ideal with temps in the 50's with only a moderate breeze at times.

For the last 2 months I have been cranking out mostly high mileage weeks to prepare for the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 in May (also known as the Toe Breaker 100).  Knowing that the New Bedford Half would be an all out fast race, I had planned on bringing down the mileage and intensity a bit, especially during the second half of race week.  For the first half I figured I would get some miles in with a nice 10 mile trail run on Monday and threw in a 20 mile run on Tuesday on the back rolling dirt roads which turned it into a unexpected 20 mile tempo run.  Wednesday another 10 miles of trails.  Should have been time to back off.  Thursday I decided to run the Rolling Irish Half course and was running late for the Thursday night group run so that turned into a tempo run.  Another 20 mile day.  Friday just a nice rolling 10 miler but feeling tired.  Saturday only 4 miles, but hills.  2 miles up, 2 miles pounding downhill.  Pre-race I did a shake down run before breakfast and then an hour before race time decided the legs were stiff so ran another 5-6 miles.  So by race time, I had in over 80 miles for the week and not the easiest.  On top of all that, I had been fighting a chest cold for the past 10 days.  (I thought I could run the shmeg out of me).

Start of the 2012 New Bedford Half Marathon

When the race gun went off I knew my plan was not working.  It's a fast pace right from the start and continues 2 miles slightly downhill.  I was running at a steady 6 minute mile which is slow for those 2 miles but the thing I noticed most was that my legs were just dead.  Hmm, go figure.  I can usually get a away with mini-tapers but I sort of forgot even that.  For the rest of the race I just held on.  I settled in, did my thing.  The only part I enjoyed was the hill at mile 12.  While others were slowing down I was starting to feel better and just kept going.  At the finish I wasn't even winded at all so I know I hadn't pushed hard, not that my legs were capable that day of turning over any faster.  I was lucky to even manage a 6:19 ave pace for the race.  Bob and I did a little cool down afterwards before chowing down on some lunch.  And if that wasn't enough, when I got back to Burlington after the race I had to pick up some groceries but before shopping I threw on the shoes and ran a 4 mile loop.  I sat in the bus for 5 hours so I figured it was time to get the kinks out.  And thus ended another 100 mile week and a forgotten taper for which I paid the price.  Live and learn.... again.

GMAA Team Organizer Sarah Waterman

There were some great highlights of the race for our club.  Friend and ultra training partner Bob Ayers threw down an impressive PR at the age of 51 and kicked my butt.  He must have a good coach:).  Norm Larson as usual kicked overall butt in the 50 age category with a time of 1:14:30.  Joe Noonan, the top finisher for GMAA ran an incredible 1:13:51.  Not bad for a 43 year old master runner.  And there were many other PR's set for the GMAA individuals.  A good day overall!!  Here are the final team RESULTS.

Special Thanks to Sarah Waterman for organizing this event!



TIME TO JOIN SOME LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Since New Bedford I've been racking up the miles.  Running trails as much as possible especially with two weeks of mid summer weather.  All of the ice is gone now except in the highest of elevations and the mud is almost non-existent due to the extremely snow-less winter.  The single track trails are dryer now than they were at most anytime last year.  With that in mind, it's time to renew your membership to the Fellowship of the Wheel!  The Fellowship has created some of the nicest single track trail networks in the state and are available right here in Chittenden County.  For a small donation of $35 you can help support this organization that will continue to maintain and create new and exciting trails to bike and run on.  Here's a link to the Fellowship of the Wheel.  And by being a member you also get discounts at Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston for the Tuesday Night Trail Series to begin in May.

ANOTHER DAY, MORE MILES, March 25, 2012
Part One:  33rd ANNUAL GMAA SAP RUN
Another fast trainer on this out and back dirt road 10K with only a small amount of mud to deal with.  A noon start for this race was perfect as you could sleep late, have a nice breakfast and then go run at a reasonable hour.  Plus the weather was looking much better for the afternoon once the morning rains blew out.  With another high mileage week, I did manage to keep the harder workouts to a minimum so the legs actually felt ok for this race.  The course is constantly rolling and this year provided a headwind for the first half but then at the turnaround, a tail wind :)  This year brought about many college age youngins to run which was fun to watch.  Still we had master Binney Mitchell and senior Norm Larson to challenge the kids.  I ran much of the race with a 19 year old youngin but shortly after the turnaround, I took a slight lead.  Overall, a decent beginning of the day with more mountain running to come to finish the day.  After the race and some donuts to snack on it was time to head to the mountains.

Leaving the race I was torn between Mt. Mansfield and Camel's Hump.  With summer weather over the last 2 weeks, much of the now cover was now gone and only 28 inches at the Mt. Mansfield stake remained.  I finally decided on the Camel's Hump version.  With varied conditions, a quick 5 mile up and down would be more predictable and quicker.....so I thought.

Camel's Hump

Part 2:  CAMEL'S HUMP
I had planned on driving up to the parking lot to the start of the Burrow's Trail head.  From there it's a quick up and down, typically 70 - 90 minutes total.  Driving up Camel's Hump Road I was stopped a few miles short by road closed signs.  Mud Season has caused some havoc on many back dirt roads and I guess this was no exception.  So I found a place off on a side road to park.  I had no pack with me and did have the microspikes but decided not to hand carry them figuring on not really needing them much.  Also I decided to not bring any water or food.  I figured this would be quick.  The first 2 miles along the road are mostly uphill.  I kept at a slow pace trying not to overheat as I knew the summit could be cold and windy and was socked in the clouds.  Once I got to the Forest City Trail I decided to go on the trails to get to the Burrows Trail Head in an effort to avoid a big, mean German Shepherd who I've been visited with in the past.  The Forest City Trail was in great shape.  Mostly dry, no snow and very little mud.  A mile later, I hooked onto the Burrow's Trail.  About half way up I stated hitting some snow and ice, mostly avoidable.  It wasn't much longer that I was hitting more serious ice on this mostly north facing trail buried in the trees.  Now it was getting difficult.  I had to find wet rocks and roots for "better traction" and it was just slow going.  The final accent was steeper and included this glazed over ice sections and the only way up was to hold on to trees until you could find better footing.  Once above treeline, the warm sun and temps from last week had melted the snow and ice.  Finally on the summit.  Looking at my watch it was 5:30 PM.  It had taken me 1 1/2 hours to summit.  A bit longer than expected.  In an effort to try to eliminate some of the snow and ice on the way down I decided to take the Long Trail South to Forest City.  I figured the south facing trail would have less snow and ice.  Yes it was a longer way out but hopefully quicker.  Instead of a 5 miler, this was turning into an 11 miler.  Would I make it out before darkness, another challenge?  Of course no headlamp either with sunset around 7:00 PM.  Onward I went.  There was much less snow and ice for a while but then deeper snow post holing and ice returned in the thicker woods.  It was an effort but not unbearable until I hit a section that was totally glazed over.  Not much pitch to it but all the same, my feet flew out from under me and down I went, hard, on my back. Not good.  I landed hard on one of my elbows too and was just waiting for another bursa to pop up.  I finally made it to the Forest City cut off and the trail was looking reasonable with very little snow and ice remaining.  At the same time, the brain clock was going off telling me it wanted food and drink.  Been there before.  I still had a good 3-4 miles to go and was feeling a bit woozy and needed some calories.  You think I would have been smart enough to at least carry a couple GU's, but no.  After a while I was eyeing the dirty snow thinking how bad can that be??  And the mountain streams were running, what were my chances of Giardia this time of year?  Been there, had that before so unless it's an emergency, I try to stay clear of that possibility.  So I backed off a bit to conserve and usually the body responds, finds some other fuel sources and allows me to continue.  Slow and steady I exited the Forest City Trail and after another two miles of mostly downhill I reached the car just after 7:00 PM to find some much needed cold chocolate milk waiting to revive me as darkness was setting in :)

Other Notable Ultra Events:  The New Jersey Ultra Festival also went on this past weekend with a few Vermonters representing this area.  Locals Jen Sorrell and John Lacroix went down to take on the 100 mile event while Kristin Lundy competed in the 100K event.  All were successful in completing their events so congrats to fellow ultra runners!!  Here are the full RESULTS.

New Pearl Izumi SynchroFuel

Other Highlights of the last month, I received a new shipment of some awesome shoes by Pearl Izumi.  In the last week I've tried out 3 new shoes that have been a real treat to run on!  I've already been running on the Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel XC Trail Shoes but tried out the new Peak II Trail Running Shoe which is a more minimalist shoe.  Lightweight yet aggressive on the trails and comfortable.  I took these out on a 2 hour ride on the single track trails of the Forest and Sleepy Hollow and they were a blast!  The next day Aliza took me out for some speed work in Burlington.  For that I had on the new Pearl Izumi Streak II Shoe which is their road racing flat.  Lightweight yet enough cush to take on a marathon distance.  I even used these at the track workout last night and they felt great!  (GMAA track workouts at CVU on Tuesday nights!) Pearl Izumi also has the road version of the SyncroFuel XC, the SyncroFuel Road II which has been great as a lightweight trainer for the roads and also on the back dirt roads.  In all, they have a totally redesigned lineup for this year that seems to be just awesome!!  And of course, the clothing line is incredible too.

This month in Dog Attacks:  I must look like a pork chop to dogs as I run by as I seem to attract far too many.

Is this what I look like?

Nasty Rottweiler

Last week I had a Rottweiler come after me.  I thought he was on the other side of an underground fence...until he made it out to the road.  I quickly made to the other side of the road and was heading to a hedgerow for protection but found a nice stick on my way, also figuring Mr. Rottweiler didn't really care about any hedgerow.  I stopped in the road with my stick and looked this dog right in the eyes and challenged him, yelling as loud as I could.  He finally backed off.

The only good thing, I was feeling sluggish on my run up until then.  Somehow I found some new energy for the rest of the run.

Door Stopper Wheat Bread

Good Banana Bread

The NEW FOOD PLAN (meatless) has now been going on 6 months.  So far so good as long as I focus on eating more calories before any major run.  I've also been experimenting on baking to try to mix in more variety.  Making wheat bread has not been very successful.  The first attempt although not great was at least edible.  The second attempt was a true door stopper.   I did discover a good recipe for banana bread and it was excellent!  My apple crisp is also a winner.






OUTDOOR SHOWER is open for the season.  With the warmer temps I got the solar heated unit in place again. Timing to catch the warmest heat of the sun is crucial this time of year.  Not working this week.

That's about it for now.  Looking forward to some fun upcoming races!

See you on the trails :)


"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success." 
- Thomas J. Watson

Febapple Frozen Fifty Race Report 2012

And yes, they do have trails in New Jersey!  And good ones at that :)

February 25, 2012

When one thinks of New Jersey they typically think of the city and suburbia.  And being just miles from Newark for this race, you might think of crime and other bad things but in the smallish town of Maplewood lies a neat little area called South Mountain Reserve full of nice single and double track trails with rocks, mud and hills.

Trails in South Mountain Reserve

The last time I spent recreating in New Jersey was just out of college helping a friend build a house in Tom's River.  But we spent most of the time surfing in some awesome fall waves at the shore, another great asset of NJ.  And before that in the early 70's it was night skiing at the Great Gorge/Vernon Valley Ski Area.  My start of poaching closed trails and having my lift ticket pulled only to beg management for forgiveness so I could ski again.  So when looking for a 50 miler at the last minute close to Vermont and NJ popped up as the closest find, I figured why not.  I had some good memories in the past so this could be fun.  And Tom, a running client of mine was to be running this as a training run so I figured this would be a great opportunity to see Tom on the trails.  So Tuesday night of race week I signed up.

Thursday afternoon I decided I better start thinking about the trip to NJ but first I had to run with the Thursday night crew followed with the traditional Italian feast at Mimmo's.  Luckily XC skiing was cancelled this night so it allowed a little more free time.  But still I didn't get home until close to 10:00 PM.  Not much time to pack.  So Friday I had to figure out the travel plans.  I sort of knew where I was going as I had programmed my car Garmin to where the race was.  I quickly came up with a game plan of drink mix and electrolytes, Body Glide, the important stuff.  I grabbed some "drop bags" to put my essentials in, set up Hotel F-150, clothing, shoes and dinner for the ride down and the EZ Pass for tolls.  The Pass works great on these road trips!  So finally by late afternoon on Friday I was ready to hit the roads.  Just in time for the snow to kick in too.  Luckily it was not too bad and by the time I drove through Albany it was pouring rain and in the upper 30's.  And a great time to enjoy a pesto pasta dinner and salad while cruising the NY Thruway.  By the time I hit NJ, the rain had stopped.  And at the same time, I was entering the congested streets of suburbia.  I had traveled this same route about a year ago on the way to a USATF course in Brooklyn but made the left turn on the Lincoln Tunnel.  This night I was in new territory on route to the Newark area.  I listened to my faithful GPS voice of Samantha as she guided me through the streets.  It was getting late on a Friday night and the streets were looking a bit sketchy.  I was now in the "hood" and made sure the doors were locked.  When I see all the store fronts with metal bars, I start to wonder.  I checked and rechecked with Samantha to try to find Maplewood on the map to make sure I was in the right part of the state and finally there it was.  Soon I drove by Seton Hall University and from there on I was in another world.  Nice upscale homes, no more bars on windows and gated communities.  True suburbia.  I came upon the entrance to South Mountain and found a park sitting high up on the hill with the NYC sky line lit up in the background.  I found the official parking spot for the race by the dog park and set up camp in Hotel F-150.  Hotel F-150 is my race rig.  It's a Ford F-150 pickup set up as a camper with a cap on the back, sliding windows with screens and an elevated platform for a queen size bed with gear storage below.  With so many of the ultra races starting at the pre-dawn hours, it just makes sense and is way easier than staying in a hotel for a few hours the night before a race.  Although this night would present some challenges.  I finally had my gear and drop bags all organized and ready to go, got good and comfy under my flannel sheets, blankets and down comforter when all of a sudden I was visited by some flashing lights and search lights.  I tried to ignore it but "IT" was not going away.  Finally I popped open the back of the cap to the amazement of Maplewood's finest as I crawled out.  "What are you doing here?" was what I heard and "License and Registration".  I tried to explain about the race but he had no idea what it was.  After a full check on my background and vehicle he explained to me that the Park was closed and that I was not supposed to be there but as he was leaving said "have a good night".  Nice!  I was fast asleep in deep sleep, for the moment.  By 2:00 AM, the next shift must have been on, more flashing lights and search lights.  Here we go again!  I think I scared this guy even more as he was looking in the woods for me.  I figured if I didn't make myself known, he might call a tow truck to haul my rig away.  When I made my presence known, it was the "License and Registration" again.  But this time after the interrogation, he told me I had to leave.  I stumbled back into the cab and headed towards civilization, clueless as to where I was.  I drove around the neighborhoods and after about 20 minutes, finally found a great spot.  A huge church parking lot with a somewhat dark corner.  Perfect!  Back under the covers again, at least for a few more hours.  Throughout the night I could hear the wind howling and the truck at times was rocking from the gusts.  But for now, it was fine.

At 5:30 AM the alarm went off.  The clock said 38 degrees inside the cap.  Not bad but not easy to get out from the warmth of the down comforter.  I had a quick breakfast which consisted of a half a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, got dressed to run and drove off to South Mountain Reserve for the race.  Just after 6:00 AM at race headquarters I got my number, chip and figured out where I was, sort of.  I still wasn't sure of the race course or of any stats like elevation gain but figured I would follow and learn as it as a 5 loop course'  It was also kind of a figure eight so during each 10 mile loop you came back to the start finish area twice.  It made it convenient for drop bags and I left some GU Brew drink mix and GU gels, electrolyte pills, extra clothing and an extra pair of shoes just in case.  Tom managed to find me and we chatted a bit before the race but it was cold so we both went back to our cars to stay warm until the race start.  With about 15 minutes to go I figured I should visit the port-o-let one more time.  With only 2, there was a good line up and the line went slow. The RD was shouting out the time before the start and telling those in line for the port-o-let to move a little faster as he was starting the race on time.  Finally as he yelled out "75 seconds to go", the door opened and I had my chance to quickly take care of business.  With only a few seconds to spare, I was ready to go.  There were a lot of runners at the start as this was for both the 50K and the 50 mile but the 50k runners headed out in a different direction to run an extra mile before coming back on course with the 50 milers.  I had no idea how many runners were doing the 50 miles and never looked back after the start.

Start of the 2012 Febapple Frozen 50.  (Pic thanks to Kelly Agnew's collection of photos).

I didn't recognize anyone at first until Joshua Finger said hi.  He won the Febapple 50 last year and we had run a couple of years ago at the Finger Lakes 50.  He remembered helping me after a fall there but I fall so often I forget about those things.  Josh was mainly a road runner in his previous life but has come to the dark side to enjoy the trails and has been doing great.  So off we went at a good clip.  Soon it was four of us cruising along.  Myself, Joshua, Denis Mikhaylov and I think Dante Simone.  We would jockey back and forth some but most often it was Denis flying by on the downhills gracefully dancing over rocks and then we would catch up to him on the uphills.  It went like that most of the first loop.  The course was fun, not what I had expected in New Jersey.  It was a nice mix of single and double track trails including some hills and sections of rocks and mud.  The rains the day before made for some good wet trails in sections so wet feet was to be the norm for the day.  After 4 miles we ran through the start/finish area and I quickly discarded my wind shell and changed my hat from the heavier Headsweats Mid Cap to the Race Cap as I was warming up.

The course was marked with white flour on the trail but the rains the night before made it not the easiest to follow, especially on the first lap.  At about mile 6 or 7 of the first loop we found ourselves running along without any markings on the trail.  At least they had marked a lot of the trail so if you didn't see any marking for a while, you knew to turn back before you were too far gone.  Soon we were back on track.  The four of us ran the first loop in just under 1:22.  Heading out for lap 2, it was three of us, myself, Joshua and Denis.  The course was getting muddier as foot traffic was churning up the surface.  Not much happened on lap two but Josh and I chatted quite a bit while Denis continued to dance on the downhills and slowly climb on the uphills.

Denis and Josh

On lap three, Josh and I noticed that Denis had faded.  After a long downhill we looked back and he was no longer is sight.  This was his second 50 miler so we figured his lack of experience was taking it's toll on him.  After lap 2, I had grabbed a new bottle of my GU Brew but this was a new formula with 2x's the amount of sodium.  With all the cramping I do, I figured this was a good time to try it out.  I also grabbed a new supply of GU gels, electrolyte pills and off I was again with Josh right there too.  The course was getting muddier still and wasn't going to be drying out any time soon but still, it was a great day to run.  Temps in the high 30's, no snow or ice on the trail, shorts weather, just the ideal weather to be running in the woods with the extra bonus of no rain or bugs.  And it was February!  Somewhere around mid lap of lap three, Joshua and I were chatting about the course record and saying it will be broken today.  Last year when Josh won, he was running in snow and slush and only 3 runners finished the 50 mile race.  So this year with much better conditions and more competition, bettering that time should not be a problem.  Soon after that, Josh had faded and I found myself running alone.  Josh had a great run at the Rocky Raccoon 100 three weeks earlier so it was only a matter of time until that caught up with him, especially at the pace we ran the first 2 laps.

Nice scenery along the trail

Just before the end of the third lap, I jumped over this log with a large cut out, almost like a bench.  I took the approach differently this time and hooked a foot and slipped.  I saw myself heading face first for a huge mud hole.  The reflexes kicked in and my hands went out to prevent the body slam.  Luckily most of the mud was kept to my gloves which I could discard at the end of the lap.  So at end of lap 4, the gloves were history, I grabbed a fresh bottle of GU Brew, more GU gels, electrolyte pills and out I went.  I had another pair of gloves in my bag but gambled that I wouldn't need them and didn't want to search through my bag for them either.  As soon as I started lap 5, the winds picked up and the clouds were rolling in.  It was snowing some and seemed to be getting colder.  I wished I had gloves on.  My hands get cold when its 60 degrees, this would not be fun but it would only be for 10 miles, I could handle that.  The wind was definitely getting stronger and one gust was so strong that a large branch came crashing down in the woods next to the trail.  I was wishing I had on my wind shell too.  With no one to run with and no one in sight, I did back off a bit and even walked up some hills but kept moving forward as it was time to end this.  I maneuvered better over the cut out log this time without a mud bath, ran through the last couple hundred yards of water and mud and finished up the day claiming the Golden Apple.  Denis ended up second for the day winning the Silver Apple and Kelly Agnew claimed the Bronze Apple.  Josh finished up after 40 miles.

And the gear for the day, a big change for me.  A new ride after many years!  I wore the Pearl Izumi Synco Fuel XC shoe and they were awesome.  I only fell once during the day which is good for me but I did manage to kick a few big rocks along the way and the toe bumpers in these shoes were great.  They also provided the extra support and cushioning I needed on the rocky sections.  Thanks to Kyle at the SkiRack for assisting with this change and thanks to Jeff and Pearl Izumi :)  The Headsweats Midcap was great for the cooler start and changing over to the race cap was the perfect transition as the day warmed up.

The New Ride from Pearl Izumi with lots of mud.

Nutrition, the new GU Brew with 2x's the sodium made for a cramp free day.  I noticed after 3 laps that my shirt was spotted with salt even with the cooler temps and it's usually after 35 miles or so when my cramps kick in but not on this day.  And I took fewer electrolyte pills than usual.  I felt energized throughout the day eating GU gel and the occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich and bananas.  All good!

And thanks to RD Rick and Jennifer McNulty for putting on this race.  They did a fantastic job with four different races going on throughout the day. Full results can be found here:  RESULTS .  They also host a number of races throughout the year so check out NJ Trail Series.


HAPPY TRAILS!

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.